Archive for June 4th, 2008

While Industry Minister Jim Prentice has sought to project an air of unflappability around the outcry over the Canadian DMCA, it would appear that behind the scenes his staff is working overtime to eliminate any negative comments on Wikipedia. Prentice's Wikipedia entry has been anonymously amended multiple times over the […]

While Industry Minister Jim Prentice has sought to project an air of unflappability around the outcry over the Canadian DMCA, it would appear that behind the scenes his staff is working overtime to eliminate any negative comments on Wikipedia. Prentice's Wikipedia entry has been anonymously amended multiple times over the […]

The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the introduction of the Canadian DMCA has now been delayed until next week, though some MPs apparently believe that today is still the day. While the indecision may be attributable to any number of things (the GM layoff announcement, the current pressure on the government arising from the Bernier affair, or the public criticism of a Canadian DMCA and ACTA), the real source of the problem is that Prentice has treated the copyright file primarily as a communications issue rather than as a policy one. From the moment of his appointment as the Minister of Industry, his instructions from the Prime Minister have been clear – introduce a copyright bill and make sure that the U.S. is happy with it. With that, the fear is that the concerns of many Canadian stakeholders have taken a backseat to satisfying the demands of the PMO and the USA.

Over the past two weeks, the plans for introducing the bill have continuously changed. Sources say the initial plan was to get it out immediately after the Victoria Day weekend, press for the completion of second reading before the summer break, and then conduct summer hearings. Now it may be just to get it out, or to wait until next week and do a dump and dash – introduce the Canadian DMCA and make a quick exit to Asia for the OECD meeting.

I would argue that much of this could have been solved with greater transparency and consultation.

The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the introduction of the Canadian DMCA has now been delayed until next week, though some MPs apparently believe that today is still the day. While the indecision may be attributable to any number of things (the GM layoff announcement, the current pressure on the government arising from the Bernier affair, or the public criticism of a Canadian DMCA and ACTA), the real source of the problem is that Prentice has treated the copyright file primarily as a communications issue rather than as a policy one. From the moment of his appointment as the Minister of Industry, his instructions from the Prime Minister have been clear – introduce a copyright bill and make sure that the U.S. is happy with it. With that, the fear is that the concerns of many Canadian stakeholders have taken a backseat to satisfying the demands of the PMO and the USA.

Over the past two weeks, the plans for introducing the bill have continuously changed. Sources say the initial plan was to get it out immediately after the Victoria Day weekend, press for the completion of second reading before the summer break, and then conduct summer hearings. Now it may be just to get it out, or to wait until next week and do a dump and dash – introduce the Canadian DMCA and make a quick exit to Asia for the OECD meeting.

I would argue that much of this could have been solved with greater transparency and consultation.

Environics has just released an IP survey that shows its obvious bias from the first two paragraphs. Partially funded by the Canadian Recording Industry Association, it begins by claiming that "over the past several years Canada has fallen behind the international community when it comes to the protection of intellectual […]